


Black Pearl

by KorrasCrystalGem



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Human AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-01
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 10:28:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5124212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KorrasCrystalGem/pseuds/KorrasCrystalGem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everybody has their demons.</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>"That's a good way to cope. When did you pick that up, P?" Pearl rolled her eyes as a short, curvy girl with long vibrant purple hair sidled up to her.</p><p>"Go away Amethyst."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Out of Hand

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I've written since I was 16, it's been EIGHT very long years! Constructive criticism is welcome! Please be kind! I fully intend to see this fic through to the end! I already have a good bit of the story done, so stick with me! (Some chapters will be short, and for that I am very sorry!)

Pearl leaned back against the cool brick wall of her apartment building as she frantically searched her oversized teal hoodie for her cigarettes and lighter. Long, pale, fingers flipped the box open with ease, sighing as she drew one from the pack. The sound of car horns, and the rhythmic clattering of the subway beneath her feet was calming. People swarmed past, moving around her if they had to. Pearl sunk deeper into her hoodie and took a long drag from the cigarette, holding her breath until her lungs burned.

"That's a good way to cope. When did you pick that up, P?" Pearl rolled her eyes as a short, curvy girl with long vibrant purple hair sidled up to her.

"Go away Amethyst."

"I miss her too you know, you aren't the only one hurting." The shorter girl growled. Pearl clenched her fists, heat rising to her cheeks.

“Shut. Up. Amethyst." She warned. 

"No, Dammit!" Amethyst was raising her voice now. "You don't get to act like the only fucking person who lost her! Garnet and I lost Rose too! What's worse, you're pushing off YOUR responsibility on to Garnet!"

Pearl whirled around to face Amethyst, tears dangerously close to spilling over. "Don't fucking go there! YOU can't understand what I'm going through, NONE OF YOU can understand what I'm going through!" Pearl shouted. People were starting to stare, craning their necks to watch as they walked by. Amethyst stepped up and grabbed a fist full of Pearl's hoodie before dragging her around the side of the building. As short as Amethyst was, Pearl was no match for her.

Once around the corner, Amethyst shoved Pearl against the wall placing her hands on either side of Pearl's waist. Ice-blue eyes stared down at her defiantly.

"What happened to you, huh?" Amethyst's voice was a hiss. "I know everything that's happened fucked you up pretty bad, but nobody, not even Garnet, expected this from you. She found needles in the bathroom trash can, do you care to explain that?!"

Pearl went rigid. Anger, guilt, and shame washed over her. "She has no business-"   
Amethyst grabbed Pearl's collar and yanked her down to eye level. "It's all of our business, we all live together! So help me, if you put Steven's life in danger-" Pearl's eyes went wide at the mention of the boy's name. 

"You'll what?! " Pearl spat. 

"I will turn you in to the police. Whatever shit you've gotten yourself into, it needs to stop. Now."

Pearl's mind was reeling, she had to escape. She yanked backwards, freeing herself from Amethyst's grip, shoving her as hard as she could. The shorter girl stumbled backwards a few steps but held her ground rather easily. 

"Oh no you don't!" Amethyst shouted. Pearl scrambled to get out of Amethyst's way as she lunged forward trying to find purchase on any part of Pearl. Amethyst's hands clamped around a skinny wrist and yanked back. Pearl was panicking, she needed to escape, she needed to run, she couldn't breathe. She balled her fist and used her backwards momentum to whip around. Her fist collided into Amethyst's face with a sickening crack. 

Stunned, Amethyst released her death grip. Pearl stood stock still trying to absorb what had just taken place. Moments later, Pearl bolted out of sight, out from the shadowed alley and into the city.

Amethyst cupped her hands around her nose in an attempt to keep the blood from running onto her clothes, before turning around and making her way towards the apartment complex entrance. She was sure it was broken. Inside, Garnet was sitting on the couch feeding a very sleepy baby his bottle. 

“Amethyst, what happened?! I thought you said you were just going to talk to her.”

"Yeah, well things got out of hand. I asked her about the needles and she flipped out... I also may have pushed her around." Amethyst replied cooly, as she emptied a tissue box in an attempt to slow the flow of blood from her nose. Garnet sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand, lifting her glasses slightly. 

"Amethyst... I specifically told you not to mention the needles. "

"I couldn't help it! Garnet, she's trying to kill herself or something! Rose has only been gone for three months! She's already started smoking, when she's not doing that she's drinking, and now she's into some sort of hard drug! This is insanity and you know it; If we don't confront her and get her help, we're going to lose her too!"

Steven let out a small cry, Garnet held him a little closer and ran her hand through his silky black hair. "Keep it down Amethyst, he's almost asleep."

"Sorry..." Amethyst chewed on her lip for a moment before speaking again. "Not to mention she's neglecting Steven." Amethyst pointed out. 

"I know... but I don't mind taking care of him, it makes me feel... Important." Garnet stared down at him and smiled. 

"Garnet, he's not your responsibility, Rose made Pearl his Godmother. She's the one with legal custody, not us." Garnet deflated slightly. 

"I know..." Garnet glanced up at Amethyst. "Come on, let's go to the express care, I'm pretty sure your nose is busted. I can't believe she hit you that hard.”

"Yeah, me neither.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did I do? :] If you like this, you can find me on Tumblr under the same name, feel free to drop me an ask or fan mail! :D


	2. Homewood

The chilly, night air stung Pearl's face as she ran. Eyes wide with panic, heart slamming against her rib cage. The local park came into view, Pearl's eyes darted to the giant concrete tunnels, painted in a rainbow of colors. She made a beeline for the entrance of the longest one and crawled in. Pearl pulled her knees up to her chest, tucking them inside her hoodie. She closed her eyes and let memories flood through her. 

Rose had been her entire world. Her North Star. Pearl spent her entire childhood being bounced around foster homes. She did everything in her power to make the families she stayed with want to keep her, she was a straight A student, she played the violin... She behaved. But she always ended up in the same abusive group home... Homewood, where innocence and hope were lost. 

It was there that she first met Rose. It was Pearl's first night at the group home, after a string of several failed attempts at placing her with a foster family. One of the older boys that lived at the group home had her pinned down to the bed, everyone was asleep and he had his hands over her mouth, threatening her not to make a sound.

Rose had just been kicked out of her latest foster home and was returning to Homewood. She trudged up the stairs to the largest room where the girls slept. Moving silently through the hall as not to disturb anyone. She opened the door silently and that's where Rose saw him. Pinning a younger girl around her age to the bed. She moved silently. She was right behind him and he had no idea she was there. Rose moved like lightning, seizing the back of the boy's neck and bearing down on the pressure points. She jerked him back and covered his mouth with her free hand, dragging him into the hallway. Pearl heard indistinguishable words being exchanged, a thud, and the sound of the boy hurrying away. 

Upon her return, Rose made her way over to the side of Pearl's bed. Huge ice blue eyes stared up at her. 

"Th-thank you... You saved me..." Pearl's voice cracked. Rose smiled sweetly and wiped away a rogue tear from Pearl's cheek. 

"I'm just glad I got here when I did. He's not going to bother you anymore. My name is Rose by the way." She smiled sweetly. 

"I-I'm Pearl... It's nice to meet you.”

Sobs wracked Pearl’s body as she hugged her legs closer. She needed a distraction. It was early, at least three in the morning if she had to guess. Pearl tiptoed through the apartment complex’s hallway and paused at her door, listening carefully for the sound of Amethyst or Garnet. Her ears were met with silence. She unlocked the door to find the apartment completely empty. It dawned on her then that they were probably at the emergency room having Amethyst’s nose looked at. A wave of guilt washed over her. Had she really hit her? How had things gotten so out of hand?

Pearl walked back into her bedroom and pulled open the dresser drawer. There it was, right where she left it. Shaking hands reached down and pulled out a tiny bag of powder and a new syringe. She crept into the kitchen and grabbed a large tablespoon and a bottle of water. Back in her room, Pearl perched on the edge of her bed and tapped some of the fine white powder onto the center of the spoon, adding a bit of water. She stirred the mixture with the needle of the syringe, then pulled the lighter out of her pocket. After heating the liquid she drew it up into the long thin tube. Her pulse quickened in anticipation as she wrapped a length of shimmering translucent ribbon tightly around her upper arm, and held it between her teeth. Pearl rubbed the crook of her arm gently until the bright blue veins were visible. There was the tiniest pinch and the needle was in. Pearl pulled the plunger back just enough to draw blood, letting her know she was in the vein. Her eyes slid shut as a pale thumb pressed the plunger down as she released her hold on the ribbon. 

It was like being wrapped in a warm blanket, everything just slipped away. There was no pain, there was no fear, and she wasn’t alone. It was like Rose was still here, with her warm arms wrapped around Pearl’s slender frame, whispering calming things into her ear… So warm, so tired.

“I love you” She whispered into the darkness, as sleep claimed her.

Pearl was awoken by a warm hand running up and down the length of her arm. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Amethyst, was on the side of the bed, stroking her arm absentmindedly; staring at the night stand where the drugs, syringe, and spoon were laying. Alarm and anger flashed through her. She was about to tell Amethyst off when she saw the tears running down her cheeks.  

“Amethyst” Her voice was weak. Startled, she wiped the tears away, carefully avoiding her heavily bandaged nose.

“P-“ She was cut off as Pearl sat up and brushed a few strands of purple hair out of Amethyst’s face. ”What are you do-mmmm-" She was interrupted as Pearl's lips connected with her own. Pearl, still feeling disconnected after last night’s high, kept her lips locked with Amethyst's for several moments, unaware of how much time had slipped by. Amethyst, shocked by the unexpected kiss, snapped back into reality and quickly shoved Pearl away.

"P! What the hell was that about!?" She demanded. Her cheeks were burning hot with embarrassment.

"What, that?" Pearl asked softly, her entire face blushing in a rosy tint. ”I just... wanted you to shut the hell up for once."   Amethyst stood up and tried to compose herself. Half of her wanted to kiss Pearl again, the other half wanted to break her nose. Instead she turned around and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Garnet glared at her from the couch where she was feeding Steven.  

“What happened?” Garnet asked quietly, trying not to disturb the nearly sleeping baby. Amethyst sat on the couch beside her and ran her hands through her hair. Tears pricked at her eyes.

“It’s bad, Garnet. It’s worse than we thought. I must have gone in right after she passed out, I was too afraid to leave her, she wasn’t breathing right-“ Amethyst broke off as a strangled cry escaped her.

Pearl listened as Amethyst cried. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she climbed out of her window and onto the fire escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? :]


	3. Doppelganger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tiny chapter, but there will be a huge chapter posted later today!

Pearl knocked on the door of the run-down apartment building and shifted uncomfortably. This part of the city was notoriously dangerous, and standing out in the open made her nervous. The afternoon sun was of little comfort, this was still a shady place to be alone. She heard shuffling coming from inside, a thud, someone yelping in pain, swearing, and the locks on the door being undone. The door cracked open a bit, a girl around her height peered out, squinting in the sun.  

“What do you want?” She asked, sounding annoyed.  

“I’m here to see Jasper, please let me in.” Pearl replied flatly. The bespectacled girl before her opened the door wider. She was slender like Pearl, her unkempt blonde hair came just past her shoulders. Her glasses sat crooked on her face.  

“So polite.” The other girl mused. Pearl stepped inside, happy to be off the street. “Jasper’s in the kitchen.” she said as she adjusted her glasses.

Pearl walked nervously into the kitchen. Jasper sat at a cluttered table counting pills of some sort, sipping at her coffee. 

“H-hey Jasper.” She clutched the strings of her hoodie in her hands, wrapping them around her fingers nervously. Jasper looked up from her counting and gave Pearl a wicked toothy grin. The bands of vitiligo on her face made her eyes stand out. She was beautiful and menacing all at the same time.

"Come to hide in the shadows again with your doppelganger?" Jasper stood and moved over to Pearl, wrapping a huge toned arm around her shoulders.  

“Doppelganger? I don’t understand.” Pearl looked up at Jasper quizzically. She flashed another toothy grin and shook her head.  

“Black Pearl?” When Pearl continued to stare at her blankly, she sighed. “Heroin, Pearl. It’s also called Black Pearl. Damn, how do you not know this?”

“Oh. Hey don’t blame me! I’m pretty new to all of this” Pearl said, cheeks turning red.   Jasper laughed, even that was intimidating. Jasper looked more like a body builder than a drug dealer, Pearl considered herself tall at 5’7’’ but Jasper towered over her at 6’5’’. She walked over to the couch and motioned for Pearl to join her. Pearl sat down carefully, crossing her legs and placing her hands in her lap. Jasper laughed again.

“You’re too cute, you know that?” Jasper cooed. This got the other girl’s attention, as she glared across the room at them. This did not go unnoticed by Jasper. “Relax Peridot, I’m not looking for another brat to add to my collection. You and Lapis are more than enough.” 

Peridot continued to glare, as she made her way out into the kitchen. She came back a moment later with a short, thin, plastic tube, a square of aluminum foil, and a dime bag of white powder. Peridot sat on the couch, sandwiching Pearl in the middle and began tapping the powder out onto the tin foil. She showed Pearl how to hold the foil and the lighter for her to smoke from. After Peridot and Jasper were satisfied, it was Pearl’s turn. Jasper held the foil and lighter while Pearl inhaled through the tube. The high hit her much faster this time, she started to drift in and out of consciousness as Jasper and Peridot chatted away. Jasper felt a weight land on her shoulder and looked down to see Pearl asleep, her chest rising and falling irregularly. Peridot glared, as Jasper only smiled and shrugged.  

“I dunno Peri… She’s awfully cute.”


	4. Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the big update I promised!

Pearl shifted uncomfortably under the sheet, stretching her legs out, and pressing her shoulder blades inward trying to crack her back to release the pressure. “Where am I? How did I get on this couch…” she thought to herself. 

“Come ON! I need the bathroom!” Peridot shouted as she pounded on the door.  

“I’ll be out in a few minutes! Calm down!” Lapis called back.

“You said that half an hour ago! Save some hot water for the rest of the city!” 

Pearl shook her head at their bickering, remembering where she was. She opened her eyes, and willed them to focus. She loved the high, but hated how disconnected it made her feel after the drug had worn off. Someone was sitting across the room from her. Pearl rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times to clear her vision. There Garnet sat, legs crossed, hands fidgeting on her lap the way she does when she’s ready to snap. Pearl let out a groan as she buried her face back in the couch “Fuck me…”

  “Get up.” She ordered. Any patience she had was gone. Pearl turned her head and squinted at Garnet, before burying her face back in the couch cushion. When Pearl made no effort to move, Garnet stood up and walked over to the couch. “Get up!” She repeated. Her order was met with defiance. She clenched her jaw and ripped the sheet off of Pearl, who elicited a shriek of discontent at the chilly air. Still she held her ground and didn’t move. This only angered Garnet further who seized Pearl’s right wrist and hoisted her up off the couch.   “Come on, we’re going home.” She sounded tired.  

“I’m not going.” Pearl retorted, as she made her way back to the couch. Again, Garnet grabbed her wrist and pulled towards the door. “I said, I’m not going!” Pearl shrieked. Wild anger burned in her, she knew she wasn’t in her right mind but it was if she had no control over her emotions. It was intense and out of control. Garnet had a firm grip on her shoulder’s now, her gaze boring into the willowy girl before her, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Pearl was an angry, screeching mess. Jasper hung back in the kitchen area, golden brown eyes glinting with amusement. Just then, there was a sound, a cool sensation running down her face. In her fit of rage, Pearl spit on her, trying to get free. 

The sun was just beginning to settle on the hazy horizon; a warm ray of orange light shone through Jasper's apartment window stretching across the room to Pearl’s face, rousing her from sleep. Disoriented, Pearl reassessed her surroundings, she heard a set of footsteps coming down the stairs. As her vision refocused, she noticed a slender frame rounding the corner. Peridot, completely naked, save for a towel wrapped around her hair; is dripping wet from the shower she was forced to take only a few minutes ago, due to Lapis’s refusal to get out of the shower earlier that morning. As their eyes connected, time seemed to freeze.

"Son of a bitch! I thought you left already!" Yelled an irate, and embarrassed Peridot.

"I...I...thought I did, too" Pearl replied. “What the hell happened?"

"Garnet Mr. T'd your ass, is what happened!" Jasper answered, sitting on a chair, rolling a joint. "You were all like 'Fuck meee', smothering your face in the couch, and Garnet, she walks up, rips the sheet off of you, you still wouldn’t move so she grabbed you, and you were screaming bloody murder, and then you spit in her face, and then everything went quiet, she knocked you out cold, then stormed out without saying a word. You probably didn't even feel it! That was the funniest. Fucking. Thing. EVER.” Jasper had become very animated as she recounted the altercation, she flashed another wicked smile and chuckled to herself.

Pearl’s head was throbbing. “I can’t believe this! She could have given me a concussion!” she exclaimed. Pearl got up from the couch and headed towards the front door on unsteady legs. 

"Anyway, thank you, sorry for causing so much trouble” She sighed, offering a simple wave goodbye as she opened the door to leave.

"Heh. Anytime, kid!" Jasper replied. Peridot simply glared after her.

~~~~~

Pearl stood uncomfortably at the bus stop waiting for the next ride to take her home. She hated this part of the city even more at night. It was risky at best during the day, but at night it was just dangerous. She groped around her hoodie’s pocket for her cigarettes. Her nerves were on edge, and her head was still pounding from Garnet’s beat down. Cars and taxis scooted by on the outskirts of the neighborhood, she watched as she took a long drag from the cigarette. A few minutes passed by, and a white convertible stopped at the corner just beyond the bus stop where she stood.

An obnoxiously dressed man exited the vehicle and sauntered up to her. The cocky stature of this man alone was irritating, he looked like he jumped straight out of the 80’s. She took a heavier drag of her cigarette and blew it in his face.

“What do you want, creep?” Pearl asked, attempting to mask her fear with indifference. 

The man stuffed his hand into his right pocket, the sounds of coins and who knows what else clinked together as he sifted through the apparently oversized pocket. He found what he was looking for, displaying a wad of rolled up dollar bills, just as the bus approached its designated stop. The bus driver blew the horn, signaling the owner of the white vehicle to move.

“Twenty bucks, right?" The man asked as he attempted to hand Pearl the money.

“Twent- wait, what? What the hell are you talking about?" Pearl interrogated.

"Well-yeah, twenty" He answered. "That's the going rate for girls like you, right?". The bus driver blew the horn again before driving around the convertible, glaring as he passed.

"Girls like me?" she questioned. “Wait, you think that- oh... OH GOD" she replied, making a heaving sound with her throat.

"I can go up to forty, but no more" The man replied stupidly. Pearl gritted her teeth, rage bubbling through her.

"I am not that kind of girl, you filthy HOG!” She yelled, while thrusting a well-timed knee into his groin. The man dropped like lead, coughing and wheezing. As he laid there writhing in pain, she grabbed the forty dollars from his hand. "You know what? fuck this.” Pearl added. She inspected his pockets, and pulled out his car keys. She stormed over to the driver's seat, started the car.

"Maybe this will teach you to stop objectifying women, you sexist asshole!" She yelled, flooring the gas pedal and tearing down the street. It had been a while since Pearl had last driven a car, she decided to enjoy it before finding somewhere to ditch it. The pedals and steering were super sensitive. The car was small, but it’s engine was very nearly over powered.

After a while, Pearl finally stopped outside of the apartment. It was safe to assume that Garnet was still upset from earlier, so she decided to enjoy the silence in the car. The bitter cold of the night time air sent chills down her spine. Pearl fumbled for the switch that would raise the car’s roof. Consumed by adrenaline, she had completely forgotten the fact that this wasn't her car. Curiosity got the best of her as she decided to inspect the contents of the vehicle.

The first place she decided to check was the glove box, which unsurprisingly, was locked. She turned off the car and jammed the key into the lock on the glove box. It popped open without hesitation. Inside she found, a small pistol, a 6-inch stiletto switchblade, a cheap lighter, and a cigarette box. "SCORE!" Pearl quietly squealed with glee. She grabbed the lighter and cigarette box. Upon flipping open the lid, she found not cigarettes, but two joints. “Even better.” She whispered.

Pearl reclined the seat and flicked the lighter, a small flame sprung to life as she drew it towards the joint, inhaling gently as the paper and plant began to burn. She held her breath as long as possible, before coughing violently, the smoke billowed out around her, slowly starting to fill the car. She thought for a moment that the pot had a strange taste but dismissed the notion quickly, as it had been a while since she had last smoked any.

The high was beginning to kick in, so she placed the lighter back in the glove box and snubbed out the stinger of the joint in the car’s ash tray, before sliding into the back seat, getting ready to enjoy the high. Several moments, or was it hours? slipped by. She was startled by a tapping on the window.

“Huh, wha...?" Pearl mumbled. "Who's there?"

Looking out the window, she sees a familiar shape. Rose. Pearl’s heart leapt into her throat.

“Oh my god, It's you... It's really you..." Pearl said, trying to gain some control of her mind.

"Of course it's me” She said. "Please unlock the door so we can talk?" 

Pearl reached over and unlocked the door. Rose climbs in and locks the door behind her. "How about we talk later?" Pearl asked.

"But we really have to-mmmm” Before Rose was able to finish her sentence, Pearl locked her in a kiss, holding onto her as if she’d disappear any second, but she didn’t. She returned Pearl’s kisses with fervor, biting her bottom lip gently, eliciting a soft gasp from the willowy girl. Clothes came off in a blur, as their hands explored each other’s bodies hungrily, touching, feeling, pleasing.

The next morning, Pearl awoke, her heart hammering. “Rose!” she whispered to herself. She was nowhere to be found. Confused, Pearl looked around, her clothes were on the floor of the car, her thighs were covered with perfect circular bruises. “It wasn’t a dream…” she thought. “But where is Rose?” A small sound came from the passenger seat, and that’s where she saw her. 

Amethyst. Almost completely naked save for a bra and a t-shirt across her lap. Purple hair stuck to her cheeks, and a thin line of drool running down her face. Pearl's blood ran cold.

“Fuck!" She thought to herself. "Fuck fuck fuck!” Carefully she grabbed her clothes, trying not to disturb Amethyst. So distraught from the situation, she doesn't even bother to get dressed, and beelines for the apartment.

Garnet, giving Steven his morning breakfast, heard a flurry of footsteps railing up the stairs.

"That must be Amethyst" she said to Steven with a smile. "Hopefully she was able to talk to Pearl".

The door opened, and Garnet noticed that that was clearly not the case.

"Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me, fuck me...." Pearl repeated as she ran frantically with her clothes still in hand to her room.

Garnet lowered her head and sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was honestly 6 pages long -_- It looks so much shorter here :/

**Author's Note:**

> How did I do? :] If you like this, you can find me on Tumblr under the same name, feel free to drop me an ask or fan mail! :D


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